The Rev. Kate Spelman is the youngest priest and the first woman to serve as rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Western Springs. Just before turning 30, she became the seventh spiritual head of the 120-year-old parish of 300 families.
Q. Where did you serve previously?
A. My first assignment was three years at Christ Church in Philadelphia, an historic church four blocks from the Liberty Bell. They held the Continental Congress there. It’s a big tourist attraction as well as a lively congregation. It was a wonderful position, sort of a boot camp with all sorts of experiences.
Q. How did you end up in Western Springs?
A. I felt it was time for a change. This was the first place I applied to and the last place where I interviewed, including parishes in California, Philadelphia and Virginia. Almost from the first moment, I felt very much at home and at ease here. It felt right.
Couldn’t really tell much from the article, but I did laugh at this line:[blockquote]”[…]I remember looking at our priest and thinking that I could do a better job. Laughter would be the appropriate response to that.”[/blockquote]
I’m having trouble with the math. How does “a parish of 300 families” have “a little over 100 parishioners, and 60 to 70 on a Sunday.” All I can figure out is that maybe they have 300 families (pledging units) on the members database, but only 100 individuals from those 300+ families actually attend the church and usually only 60-70 on a given Sunday. If that is the case, she could grow the church substantially just by getting those non-attending persons to get involved and become active members. Why are they on the books but not in the pews?
Barbara, a quick glance at the congregation’s chart shows it has 240 members and an ASA of about 70 in 2012, down from an ASA of 110 in 2002. I can’t see where the 300 figure would have come from.
Chart can be viewed for the next 24 hours at: http://pr.dfms.org/study/exports/1417-4049_20140416_05312276.pdf
Thanks, Jeff. That makes a lot more sense.